Metro Government

Louisville Metro Council announced the schedule for two public hearings on a proposed ordinance to significantly increase the tax rate on most insurance premiums in the city, part of a plan advocated by Mayor Greg Fischer...

Mayor Greg Fischer unveiled a plan on Wednesday to dramatically increase the tax rate on certain insurance premiums over the next four years, in an effort to fill a $65 million budget hole over that time...

In a bold move to keep new tax revenue in-house, small cities are considering matching Metro Council’s proposed increase to the insurance premium tax. To fill a large budget hole created by escalating pension costs, Mayor Greg...

Mayor Greg Fischer warned of the potential of “devastating” cuts to city services and staff layoffs without new tax revenue on Thursday, citing an expected $65 million budget gap over the next four years due the...

City leaders have denounced an apparent hate crime directed at a Hindu temple earlier this week, as it was broken into and desecrated with graffiti. At some point between Sunday night and Tuesday morning, officials said,...

State

A bill was introduced Wednesday in the Kentucky General Assembly just before the filing deadline for legislation that would raise the state gas tax by 10 cents per gallon, in addition to imposing new fees and...

After failed attempts last spring and in a 24-hour special session in December, Kentucky lawmakers will try to pass pension reform once more this session. Filed on the final day for new bills, House Bill 504...

Neil Ramsey announced his official resignation from the Kentucky Retirement Systems board of trustees at its meeting on Thursday, two months after he first announced that he would resign over a legal conflict. Following an Insider...

The Louisville Urban League’s next free felony expungement clinic on March 2 is already fully booked, but in the meantime the nonprofit is seeking legal volunteers to help that clinic run as smoothly as possible for...

A bill that would legalize and regulate wagering on sporting events in Kentucky and earmark tax revenue to the state pension system easily passed through a legislative committee Wednesday morning. House Bill 175 would allow Kentuckians to...

By Perry Bacon Gov. Matt Bevin is unpopular — a poll released in January by Morning Consult found that he ranked 45th among America’s 50 governors in terms of favorability (though, the five below him are no longer...

By Amye Bensenhaver In an era when virtually every public official gives lip service to the importance of transparency and accountability, what is it that motivates a legislator to introduce a bill that abridges these twin goals?...

A state investigation has found that longtime Jefferson County Property Valuation Administrator Tony Lindauer “likely subjected at least one employee to sexual harassment in the workplace,” with witnesses substantiating that he made “unwelcome and inappropriate” sexual comments and advances.

The investigation by the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Contract Compliance — which covers discrimination, sexual harassment and violations of equal opportunity programs — was initiated after an anonymous complaint from an employee in Lindauer’s office in January.

According to a copy of the EEO report dated Oct. 17 but released to several media outlets on Friday, this original complaint asserted that there was “a culture of fear and intimidation” in the office “owing to harassment and sexual behavior” by Lindauer “and persons employed by him.”

The report, signed by EEO executive director Yvette Smith, found substantiation that Lindauer subjected one female employee to “unwelcome and inappropriate sexual comments and conduct,” and found the complaint that he subjected the same employee to “unwelcome and inappropriate touching and verbal comments” this May to be “credible.”

The report also found substantiation that Lindauer repeatedly subjected this employee to unwelcome sexual advances by communicating to her “that she could or should perform a sex act in his office,” which the report also found to be credible.

“By his own admission to investigators, on at least two occasions, Mr. Lindauer discussed ‘blow jobs’ with” the complainant “while in his office,” stated the report. “Mr. Lindauer admitted to (two employees and witnesses) that he ‘probably’ or ‘did’ request” the complainant “to perform the sex act.”

The EEO report also found substantiation that employees in the PVA office “are distrustful of management and fear losing their jobs if they report unlawful or unwelcome behavior.”

While a large majority of the 55 PVA employees who completed a workplace environment survey from the EEO reported that they had not witnessed or been subjected to sexual harassment, the report adds that “the nonclassified (at-will) status of PVA employees likely deters them from reporting unlawful or unwanted behavior.”

The report concluded by saying that the Department of Revenue must refer it and the initial complaint to the Executive Branch Ethics Commission.

Last week, Lindauer informed all employees in an email that they would be terminated on Nov. 30, which was the last day of his term, and that they would have to reapply for their jobs to chief of staff Colleen Younger, who was elected earlier this month to replace Lindauer. Employees of PVA offices around the state serve at the pleasure of the administrator and can be fired without cause.

One employee of the PVA informed Insider this week that they had not been rehired by Younger, along with three other employees.

In October, the PVA office’s longtime chief financial officer Harold Thomas also filed a complaint with the state against Younger, asserting that she improperly accessed a nonpublic data service in the office to conduct research against John May, her Republican opponent in this year’s PVA race.

Younger and Lindauer did not immediately return a request for comment on the EEO report.